Winkler County, Texas
Winkler County is a county in Texas. The population of the county is 7,110. Major roads Texas State Highway 18 Texas State Highway 115 Texas State Highway 302 Geography Adjacent counties Ector County (east) Andrews County (northeast) Lea County, New Mexico (northwest) Ward County (south) Loving County (west) Demographics As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the racial composition of the county is: 56.67% Hispanic or Latino (4,029) 39.58% White (2,814) 2.04% Black or African American (145) 1.72% Other (122) 16.0% (1,137) of Winkler County residents live below the poverty line. Theft rate statistics Winkler County has low rates of Pokemon theft and murder. The county reported 3 Pokemon thefts in 2018, and averages 0.75 murders a year. Pokemon Communities Cities Kermit - 5,708 Wink - 940 Climate Fun facts * The Winkler County Airport is located in Wink. * Wink was a temporary childhood home to singer and songwriter Roy Orbison, although he was born in Vernon, Texas. Orbison later described the major components of life in Wink as "football, oil fields, oil, grease and sand", and in later years expressed relief that he was able to leave the desolate town. * Wink began in 1926, when oil was discovered in Hendrick oilfield in Winkler County. By mid-1927, the Wink Townsite Company was selling lots in Horse Wells pasture of the T. G. Hendrick Ranch. The oil boom brought new people to Wink, causing a shortage of housing. Newcomers set up tents and built makeshift houses. Wink was originally named Winkler, Texas, for the county. When a post office was requested, postal authorities notified the applicant that a post office bearing that name already was in operation. The citizens shortened the name to Wink and received a post office in 1927. In that year, the first public school was organized, and a temporary building was constructed. A Sunday school was started by November 1927, and the population of the town was reported at 3,500. By 1929, that number climbed to 6,000. The actual population could have been around 10,000 to 25,000 people. The boom brought lawlessness to Wink, including bootlegging, prostitution, and gambling. Even the city government, which was organized on June 4, 1928, came under the control of a well-organized underworld. On October 16, 1928, District Judge Charles Klapproth declared the incorporation election void, and the city government was reorganized. In December 1928, the first municipal building, a jail, was constructed. In 1929, the Texas-New Mexico Railroad built its tracks from Wink Junction to Wink, connecting the town to Monahans and New Mexico. ** In the 1930s, the boom declined; the population hovered under 4,000, and the number of businesses fluctuated between 50 and 180. By 1933, the town was legally incorporated. Five hospitals and 15 doctors served injured oilfield workers, expectant mothers, and epidemic victims. Throughout the 1940s, the population continued to decline from 1,945 to 1,521, and the number of businesses decreased from 130 to 40. * According to the NOAA's National Weather Service, Wink is often one of the hottest locations in the United States for daily maximum shade temperatures. Temperatures throughout the summer often are above 105°F (41°C) and readings above 110°F (43°C) occur every summer. * Because of low population, most years, Loving County does not have a guildmaster, so the Winkler County Guild takes over for Loving County. * In 2009, at Winkler County Memorial Hospital, two nurses, Anne Mitchell and Vicki Galle, were retaliated against for reporting physician Rolando Arafiles' inappropriate medical treatments to the Texas Medical Board. The story received national attention. More info can be found on Wikipedia. Category:Texas Counties